Dam construction.



W. H. ZIMMERMAN.

DAMCONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION HLED MN. 6. IBIS.

Patented May 2l,1918.

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APPLICATION FILED IAN 6. l9l3.

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Wbt/7165.585.' hue/afar' a )E2 MM 0 MMM7, /LWAWWS WALTER H. ZIMMERMAN, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DAM CONSTRUCTION.

`Specification of Letters Patent.

Parenteel nay ai, lois.,

Application led January 6, 1913. Serial No. 740,364.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VALTER H. Ziiiiiuiin-` MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Dam Constructions, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a dam construction by which the entire noi'- mal flow of water in the stream obstructed by the dam may be divertedthrough a secondary channel when desired without the use of sluice ways or by-passes around the dam. By my invention I provide means in the construction of the dam itself which will accommodate the normal flow of the stream so as to leave the dam site dry to facilitate the construction of the dam. The flow of water through the diverting means may be interrupted when the dam is completed, thus causing the water to accumulate back of the dam. When for any reason it is desired to inspect the dam, the passageways through the divertingmeans.may be again opened, thus presenting to view the entire surface of the dam which is normally covered with water.`

My invention also consists inthe improved process of constructing dams involving the novel features outlined above. In building dams by my improved process the lirstthing that is done is to put in place longitudinally of the stream a plurality of large diameter pipes 'which together shall have a sufficient capacity to accommodate the normal flow of water in the stream. These pipes are preferably put in place with the aid of cribs at their ends which constitute the forms for constructing low cofer dams or auxiliary walls across the bed of the stream. Vhen the walls and pipes are properly in place, which may be accomplishedvvithout the use of the expensive auxiliary structure usually employed in erecting dams, the water flows through the pipes over the entire site of the dam, being discharged at the lower ends of the pipes through the second colfer dam which serves to protect the site of the dam from Water in the stream below the site. The dam is then constructed in precisely the same manner as though no water were flowing in the stream at all, and after the dam is completed, by means of suitable gates in the large pipes referred to, the flow through these pipes is stopped and the water is caused to accumulate back of the dam.

Uther features of my invention consist in an improved means for actuating the gates in the. large pipes referred to, said means comprising a motor adapted to be brought into engagement with any desired one of the gates, thus reducing the amount of operating mechanism to a minimum. Other features of my invention consist of a pumping system installed as a part of the dam construction by which any portion of the site of the dam may be pumped dry when desired. I also provide a means by which a single over-head crane may be utilized through the entire length of the dam to carry repair parts or machinery into the inteiior of the dam structure, thus avoiding the necessity of having a separate crane for each bay in which it is desired to handle such parts. A further feature of my invention consists in an improved means for operating an adjustable crest at the top of the dam, such crest being formed in sections, any one of which may be engaged by a single operating mechanism, thus reducing to a minimum the cost of the operating device.

The several drawings illustrating my invention as are. follows:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal, vertical, sec tional view through the completed dam showing the water levels for dilferent conditions.

Fig. 2 is a view of the structure shown in Fig. l taken from the down stream side.

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of the sealing means employed around the large drain or sluice pipes where they pass through the auxiliary walls and the dam itself.

Fig. f1 shows a detail view of the operating means employed in connection with the gates in the large drainage or sluice pipes.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown in Figs. l and 2 the dam construction includes a plurality of large pipes 1 made preferably of sheet metal riveted 4together and provided Within the dam strucopen the pipes are sunk and concrete is filled into the forms at the ends of the pipes soas t form a transverse coferfdam-3 at the up stream ends of the pipes which eXtend s en 5 tirely across the bed of the stream to 'form' anauxiliary damserving to back up the ivatersuiiiciently so thatl 1tl will give head through the pipes 1. The down stream ends of thepipes aresi'milarly surroundeh by aI Second.; ,tfflinsiel'se @offen dani 4 which need only be hi-gh enough to. protect the site of the v ldam fromv` the tail Water co1ning from `the pipesphor the overflow, during, lnglrwater. The site of the damisl then: prepared in the mannerusualpin the art and the ootingi.

care-fully, laid to nake` as perfect a; joint as Possible! Wit-111i' .Selle rock, after.. .which ,the dans lloreliS@rrete-cl-` V`The fac@ Portion 6 t or main retaiiiing Waller thez dam ,is sup-A portedQin amannerv commonan the art by means of buttressesj andis'providedat the top, With ahorizontal portion ,SQ serving to` delire!thaofreifleir sufficiently-te therear of of the descendnig-naten, The b uttresses 7 are, reinforced by crossfbeams l 9 Whichlarel i preferably, of reinforced concrete, constructionas the entire structure of thel dam.y

Where the pipes 1 gothroughathe Wallf3 a plurality o;t flanges l0 areI rivetedto the pipvespto makel a.mo r e perfectand Water-l tendgtlireugli the dam, E' The kspace between upon suitablefrails. The truckl3 as shown moreg clearly4 Fig. f1, carries a motorlt adaptedI te drive by` b eve l gears 15 and 16 oney member of thejaW ,clutclr 17 which ,may be `rnoved.vertically by inea-ns, of the lever-,1,8

track supporting the truck isisofdisposed uponpthegplatform 12V that by :moving the truck 13 v the clutcliamember 17 `may be bronglit l,intox alinement V Witlrany-t one .of a

cured' toftlie upper ends of the gate lshafts 2 1' byfmans of., which theeates 2 are Operated.; Thus'jif itis desired to open or close any one ofthe gates thetruck 13 is moveduntil the the damml providea,trackQQ just above the it at anypoint desired.U Crane trackslthei dam to, protectthe samefrom the action,

clutch member 17 is brought into alinement with the particular clutch member 2O to be operated, `forv which position the lever 18 is operatedto bring the clutch members 17 and 20 vinto engagement with each other. For 70 this condition, operation oi the motor 14- will either open or close the desired gate 2 according to. t he di rection of the motion of the motor.

In order to acilitatethe Aconstructioinof lo\ver \vall 1 upon which cars23 may be run to deliverthe parts of the dam or the; niachineryto be employedin connection with areprov idedin connection Ewith each of the sections of the dam to vwhich material may be. required t0. be delivered and. Mlaveling crane 25 adapted foiusein connection with any`V s et of tracksdesirediis shoivnavhich has 8 connected \V ith, it apair of eyes-or rings 26 by means .pf `which the cranexmay be lifted bodily fromlthetracks by the trolleys 27 and moved laterally of the stream upon the track 28 to anysectiondesired. The track 28 is supportedby lsuitable brackets 29 from the buttresses 7.

At the top of the danrprovide a crest comprising a plurality of adjustable sections 30 @by meansl of .which during .high ,95 Waterthe positonof the overflow may be con trolled. Each section 3Q is hinged at its lower edgeto the top Aof the danrconstruction and is provided vWith two operating rods 3 1, which, \vlien \tlieI corresponding sec` 10 ytion-is in verticalpositiou, serve to lock-the section m s uch p os ition. A tigackl 1s pro.-

vided belomthe lower endsgof the rods31, which track extends transversely of the streamithe ufhole,length` of the dam. Mounted upon the track 32 is a truck provided with pnerunatic cylinder 31 .by u'hich a yoke .3 5 vmay be raised. or lowered as desired, The yoke 3 5 is.,adap tedte engagethe lowerA end .of anyl pair of rods 31 whenit isvde- 110 sired to operateI the corresponding; l section 30 of; thecrest and ing, this manner by simple, mechanism the entire crest may be controlled as desired,.i I

In connection-With the dam ,constructionl ya piping systeml is installed lconsisting 4 in a main pipe 36 extending( the entirelength of the dam from 44which at intervals, branches 4extendas shoivirat 317 controlled `by suitable valves38. The mainwpipe is connected AWitlra. pump `adapted `to remove the ,water from thepipe and 'from',theeportions of the dam 1foundation with .which connection is established by thevalves 38. Other branches i ,v

extend -as shown at 39 through .thei dam yG 125 to the compartments, formedbetween thei, wvalls 11 Whichbranches are controlledgbyA individual valves 410. Asy a resultbi the,

construction abovedesc ribedtheentire un`- i der surface of the damisi available forriir spection at all times and water may be pumped from any of such sections by operating suitable ones of the valves 38. At any time it is desirable to inspect the upstream surface 6 of the dam the gates 2 are opened by means of the motor 14 for which condition the entire flow of water is taken care of by the pipes l and then any one of the compartments formed by the walls 11 may be pumped out by opening the corresponding valve l0 connected with the branch pipe 39 extending to the particular compartment. In this way any part of the dam construction may be examined when required without the use of expensive temporary coffer dams or -caissons to protect the dam from the flow of water. It is to be borne in mind that since the wall 3 is normally entirely covered lwith water, practically no strain is exerted upon it and therefore that when properly constructed ysuch wall will last indefinitely. rlhe dam 6, however, is subjected to the entire head of water when the water above the dam is backed up to its maximum depth and thus, notwithstanding the most careful construction, trouble may develop along the footing or some other part of the inclined portion of the dam which would easily result in serious damage if the pressure of water could not readily be removed. The buttresses 7 form together with the face 6 and the wall l separate compartments which may be pumped out individually as desired so as to determine whether there is any leak around the footing 5 in connection with any particular one of the compartments thus formed. In this way the development of leaks may be accurately kept track of and they may be checked before they have progressed to a point seriously endangering the dam construction. A platform 4l extending the length of the dam is provided to give access to the valves 38 and 40.

From the above it will be understood that my invention is of value in a number of different combinations, that is to say, the upper and lower auxiliary walls together with the large pipes extending between them are extremely useful in connection with the construction of the main portion of the dam. Again, in certaincases the lower retaining wall may be done away with if the flow of water is comparatively small or the `drop in the bed of the stream is "suiiicient to take care of the water flowing from the large Copies of this patent may be obtained for pipes without the use of a retaining wall to protect the site upon which the dam is to be built. After the main structure of the dam has been completed the pipes serve their purpose in connection with the upper auxiliary retaining wall whether the lower re taining wall is employed or not since the water may be diverted through the pipes and under the dam as eEect-ively one way as the other, and thus the entire outer surface of the main retaining wall of the dam may be inspected if vdesired with either arrangement. If, however, it is also desired to inspect the site of the dam it will generally be found necessary to employ the lower auxiliary retaining wall so that the compartments formed between the main retaining wall of the dam and the lower retaining wall by the buttresses may be pumped dry.

Vhile I have shown my invention in the particular embodiments described, I do not, however, limit myself to this arrangement, but desire to claim broadly any equivalent that may suggest itself to those skilled in the art.

I/Vhat I claim is:

1. In a dam construction, the combination of a main retaining wall for the water to be stored, an auxiliary retaining wall above the main retaining wall, a second auxiliary retaining wall below the main retaining wall, and a large diameter pipe or pipes extending from one auxiliary retaining wall to the other through the main retaining wall to conduct the water from above the upper retaining wall below the lower retaining wall.

2. In a dam construction, the combination of a main retaining wall for the water to be stored, an auxiliary retaining wall above the main retaining wall, a second auxiliary retaining wall below the main retaining wall, a large diameter pipe or pipes extending from one auxiliary retaining wall to the other through the main retaining wall to conduct the water from above the upper retaining wall below the lower retaining wall, and a gate valve in each of said pipes.

In -witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 15th day of August, A. D. 1912.

IVALTER I-I. ZIMMERMAN.

Witnesses ALBERT C. BELL, CLIFFORD C. DE Wiens.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

